Stuck
by TML
Summary: Monthly dinner with your mother...check... Dinner turns into disaster...you saw that coming...Recking your car in the middle of the night and having to call your boss... you did not see coming...H/P! COMPLETE!


As many of you may have seen DC has gotten a lot of snow in the past few weeks… though it doesn't affect people outside of the states it does if you're trying to fly into DC… it doesn't really work when the airport is closed…

**STUCK**

"Hotch" Emily spoke into the phone her voice unsure. Looking at the bright numbers on her dash board she cringed. It was late. He wasn't going to be very happy.

"Yes Prentiss, is everything alright?" She heard the yawn on the other line. Maybe she should have called Morgan or Dave or maybe even Reid. Maybe not the last as he lived the farthest from where she was at the moment.

"Um, I'm stuck." She replied embarrassed.

"Stuck?" He repeated making sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Yeah. Have you looked outside your window?" She heard the shuffling of sheets on the other end of the phone. She really did feel bad, the poor man got little to no sleep and on the one night he did manage to sleep she'd needed him.

"Where are you?" was all he asked as he stared out his bedroom window.

"Two miles north of exit 8C off of 395."

"Hang tight. I'm on my way."

"Thanks Hotch."

Hanging up the phone Hotch changed putting on his warming layers.

Emily sat in her car arms wrapped around herself to keep warm. She was already having second thoughts about having called Hotch. She hoped he wouldn't be upset. She jumped when she heard the knocking on her driver side window.

"Emily what happened?" Hotch asked looking at her car. It had taken him close to an hour to make what was usually a 15 minute trip. He was amazed, only in the nations capitol would we not be prepared for a snow storm. Stepping out of her vehicle completely Emily turned to look at her car. She grimaced at the angle it was in. The ditch was a three foot slope from the main road.

She sighed. "It's been a really long night."

"You hit your head." He moved his hand to the gash on her forehead.

"Its not bad Hotch, I just want to go home and not think about my great night." Hotch didn't argue with her by the looks of things dinner at her mothers hadn't gone so well.

"We'll get your car tomorrow." Receiving a nod he placed his hand on her lower back steering her away from her car. They walked up to his car in silence.

Noticing her shiver he reached for the heater and turned it up making the care nice and cozy if not borderline unbearable. Without another word he got back on the highway.

Slush covered most of the streets in some parts there was black ice, he made sure he avoided that as best he could in the dark. Occasionally he would glance over to her, her mind was a million miles away. She had a lot on her mind. They would talk later, for now he would settle for the occasional glance.

The way her face looked when she was concentrating often distracted him, this was not a good time to be distracted he reminded himself as the car slid. She sat up immediately grabbing the door handle.

"Sorry." He smiled sheepishly. Definitely not the time to think about the many facial expressions of Emily Prentiss.

With a small nod she leaned back in her seat, her gaze returned to the window. She closed her eyes when the head ache started to intensify.

She appreciated that Hotch wasn't asking any questions, she was too tired and annoyed to answer any at that moment. She opened her eyes when she felt the car come to a stop. She looked around confused this was not her place. She looked to Hotch for an answer.

"On a good day, your place is a good twenty or thirty minutes from where I picked you up. We'd be driving all night. Well morning now." It was past two. She looked down at her clothes. Before she could make her argument he spoke. "I have sweats and a t-shirt you can wear. Plus we're off tomorrow." He smiled hoping she would just go for it. It wasn't often he got to spent time with her outside of work.

"Okay." She opened her door stepping out carefully.

She stood in his living room almost awkwardly. "I'll go grab you that change of clothes I promised." He ran up the steps. Returning he gave her black sweats and a gray university shirt. "Thanks Hotch."

She turned to the bathroom to change. Before changing she wet some toilet paper and wiped the dried blood from the gash on her head. Hotch took off his warming layers hanging them in the closet.

Returning from the bathroom she smelt popcorn. What was he up to? He knew her so well though, she could never sleep while in a mood like she was in now. She had to admit she was starting to feel better just by being around Hotch. The thought scared it. She was glad he hadn't dropped her off at home to spend the night alone thinking of the earlier events. Looking back now she realized it wasn't too bad, she'd just been frustrated with her mother. There was only so much she could take in that three hour period.

She had certainly outdone herself this time.

"Popcorn?" She asked pile of clothes in a neat pile in her hands.

"What's a good movie without popcorn?"

"Hotch you don't have to stay up with me, I'm fine."

"Emily you telling me you're fine means you're not, so for once, please don't argue with me and park your butt on the couch." She wasn't use to this side of Hotch. She was wrong though this wasn't Hotch at all, this was all Aaron. She'd always liked Hotch but she definitely preferred Aaron. He wasn't afraid to show that he cared, wasn't afraid to smile and act like a teenager with a crush.

With a final glance she set her clothes down and grabbed a handful of popcorn. Her eyes never leaving his she put some of the popcorn in her mouth and walked away. Two could play his game. It was no secret she liked him. Well no secret to the rest of the team. He was still somewhat clueless.

"That's rude, Ms. Prentiss it's not very lady like."

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "So I've been reminded on many occasions Aaron." She looked for a reaction at using his first name. If he felt anything he didn't show it.

"Ah of course that would be by the ambassador herself correct?" He was beyond ecstatic that she'd finally dropped Hotch. That was for work, he wished she'd called him Aaron earlier. Though he didn't like for her to call him Hotch out of work it was better then the many times she'd called him sir. Those were the times he'd wanted to reach out and shake her.

"The one and only." She settled on the couch. "So what are we watching?"

"How about an action/adventure." He held up India Jones and The Bone Collector. He put them away when she made a face shaking her head no. "Our life is an adventure in its self, and I don't want to think about dead bodies."

"Okay, how about…" he glanced through his DVD collection. He smiled he already knew the answer but had to grab the video if only to see her reaction. She looked at him in a face that said 'are you kidding me?' The look was worth it. "Okay maybe not." He put the movie SAW back. "You think?"

"I have the whole collection if you change your mind."

"I'll keep that in mind Hotch." She wasn't sure what had gotten into him but she definitely liked it.

"Emily." He paused. "I like it better when you call me Aaron." He gave a nervous look when she didn't respond and returned to looking at his DVD's.

"Alright, Aaron it is, but old habits…"

"I understand." He interrupted. "Okay, this is it." He put the DVD in the player.

"What is it?"

"You'll see. God you're impatient."

Sending him a glare she turned her attention to the popcorn grabbing a handful.

"Employee of the Month? Really? What are you doing with this? I didn't think it would be your kind of movie." She was surprised, then again the night was just full of surprises.

"I was having one of those can't sleep nights and ran across it on the comedy channel, so I bought it."

"You are full of surprises."

"I'm not the only one I'm sure." He gave her a knowing smile.

Every so often Hotch would look over at Emily as she'd laugh. Her mood hadn't changed too much. Even with the comedy of the movie he knew she was still thinking of her night. He figured she'd talk when she was ready.

As if on cue she began. "I just don't know what her problem is?" She sighed frustrated. "Your mom?" She knew I already knew the answer because she chose to ignore it.

"She's just never happy. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to please her. Graduating Yale wasn't good enough, joining the FBI wasn't good enough and joining the BAU was the worst one of all." She took a deep breath. 

"I mean short of becoming president I'm running out of impress your mother options." She said sarcastically.

"Emily, what happened tonight?" She was venting he understood that but he needed the whole story if he was going to help her. He turned giving her his full attention.

"I had dinner with my mother." She began inhaling deeply. "I went there thinking maybe this months dinner would be different from the one before and the one before that, I should have known better though, I set myself up."

"She asked me how much longer I planned on doing this BAU thing." She laughed bitterly. "I've lost count as to how many times her and I have had this conversation."

Aaron sat silently not wanting to interrupt her.

"She asked when I was going to settle down?" she laughed again at the memory. Her mother was something else. "Can you believe her?"

"I'm guessing there's more." She nodded.

"I knew she was up to something, my mother has always ran on a schedule, dinner has always been at a specific time so I knew something was up when she kept trying to stall. Don't you know it, as we're sitting down the door bell rings and in comes my mother's idea of a perfect man." She groaned.

I couldn't help the smile on my face. The face she'd made was just so unlike the Emily I saw at work.

"His name was Mike, he was and I quote a 'very successful surgeon'." She looked at Aaron for a second her hand rising to smack his arm.

"It's not funny Aaron. You know how many times she's done that to me. Only the other times I was at some event and always found a reason to leave. I was stuck with this 'very successful surgeon' and my mother for over two hours." She made air quotes as she said very successful surgeon.

"I'm sorry, you're right it's not funny." He couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

"What happened next?" He asked his 'serious' face back on.

"During desert I just got fed up with the looks he was giving me and I lost it. Oh my God. I flipped. I've never lost control like that Aaron it scared me. I asked him what the hell he was starting it."

She took a breath recalling the argument. "I just felt violated, he was just so uhhh. I couldn't believe my mother actually thought I would ever date a guy like him."

He waited, "You know what really pissed me off? My mother did not stick up for me oh no… God forbid. She said, 'calm down Emily you're making a scene' leave it to her to worry about me making a scene inside the house. So I got up and left."

"Emily I'm so sorry."

"Its okay, it was bound to happen."

"So how did you end up in the ditch exactly?"

"Oh, that." She touched the gash on her head. "As if my night wasn't going well enough my tire decided to blow, I was trying to gain control of the car when I hit some black ice and the rest you know."

"It certainly has been a long night." He commented. She nodded. She could tell there was more on his mind. "What is it?" she asked.

"What?" He was confused.

"There's something else you want to say. I can see the wheels turning." She knew him well.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"What? Settling down?" At his nod she continued. "Sometimes. I just, it's hard with the job. The relationship always ends because I'm never around, not always emotionally available, they just don't understand." She knew he of all people understood that.

"Not if that person is oh I don't know doing the same job you are." Did she hear him right?

"Aaron what are you saying?" She was hopeful but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"I'm saying that I like you and I'd like to try us." That had definitely sounded better in his head.

"You mean like date?"

He laughed. "Yes, date. Boyfriend/girlfriend, whatever you want to call it. That is only if you want to." He added quickly.

She smiled. He loved that smile. "I'd like that. But let's not tell my mother and Mike just yet." She laughed and he couldn't help but join her, it was infectious.

"That's a good idea."

She yawned as she turned her attention back to the movie. "We missed most of the movie."

"Ah, that's why they created this." He said holding up the remote. Pressing the reverse button he went back a couple chapters in the movie. She reached over for the quilt that sat on the back of the couch. "Scoot over." He complied moving to the edge of the couch lying down as she lay beside him, covering them both with the quilt. He bent his head down placing a kiss on her head.

"Em."

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you got stuck." He used her word.

"Me too. I don't want to do it again though."

"It's a new day." He relaxed further into the couch arm wrapped around her as she lay with her head on his chest and her hand over his heart. He covered her hand in his other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He knew she'd fallen asleep, he made a note to put the movie on another time as he closed his eyes.

Well that's it… I've been in this big mood to write Criminal Minds fics… hope they weren't too out of character for you all… but this is what you get after a 24 hours post. Hope you enjoyed….drop a line or two…


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